Faith Messages to build your faith

Tuesday, December 13, 2016

#73 The Spirit Multiplies Your Faith

Dr. Wesley L. Duewell: There is much talk about faith that is little more than pseudofaith.R. A. Torrey insists, "Trying to believe something that you want to believe is not faith.... In no case does real faith come by simply determining that you are going to get the thing that you want to get."(Torrey, How to Pray, 58-59)(Google image, Man praying)Bounds wrote, "What a world of natural praying there is, which is selfish, self-centered, self-inspired! The Spirit, when He prays through us, or helps us to meet the mighty 'oughtness' of right praying, trims our praying down to the will of God and then we give heart and expression to His unutterable groanings. Then we have he mind of Christ and pray as He would pray." (Bounds, Reality of Prayer, 138).The Holy Spirit, as He indwells you, strengthens and multiplies your faith for those areas where you are praying in accordance with the will of God. He multiplies faith by giving you a new revelation of the greatness and power of God, by giving you a vision of how God longs to act on your behalf, and by impressing upon your heart particular promises from the Word.As you prevail in prayer, He kindles a joyous expectancy in your heart that God's answer is on the way.The Spirit affirms your faith through the Word and through the assurance in your heart that He is praying through you. The Spirit does not lead you to pray for useless goals.He burdens you because God desires to work. His assistance in your prayer undergirds your confidence in His promise. Just as Abraham was strengthened in His faith and gave glory to God and became fully persuaded (Rom 4:20-21), so the Spirit guides, encourages, and affirms your faith till you too give glory to God and rejoice in faith's victory even before you see it with your eyes. Jean-Nicolas Grou prayed in 1750,"O my Savior, I say to thee again with more insistence than ever: Teach me to pray; implant in me all the dispositions needful for the prayer of the Holy Spirit.... Of what use is my prayer if the Holy Spirit does not pray with me? Come, Holy Spirit, come to dwell and work with me! Take possession of my understanding and my will; govern my actions not only at the moment of prayer but at every moment." (Ravenhill, Revival Praying, 62).

Father, we ask for Your Spirit to strengthen and multiply our faith for what it is You're concerned with, and in accordance with Your will. As You affirm our faith through Your Word and through the assurance in our hearts by Your Spirit, we believe we can expect victory even before we see it with our eyes.

May we not be guilty of asking anything amiss, as we want to please You and see Your Kingdom come.

We ask this in the Name of Jesus. Amen.

Today's quotes-

"Spiritual gifts are endowments for service given through the activity of the Holy Spirit. God provides whatever divine enablements we need for the service to which He appoints us. The Holy Spirit himself is God's great gift to us (Acts 2:38) but He bestows grace-gifts (charismata) providing divine endowment and enablement for serving God and the body of Christ ... He does not manipulate us, He enables by His indwelling presence and power. (p. 25 of ABLAZE FOR GOD, by Wesley L. Duewel)

"Many of us start praying for a miracle when we have exhausted every other remedy. And while it would be better if we were to begin rather than end with prayer, God hears our cries, no matter how dark the situation facing us may seem." (p. 61 of Miracles Happen When You Pray, by Quin Sherrer. Some as low as $.01+ $3.99 postage)

Today's Bible verses-

(Is. 33:2 NIV) "O LORD, be gracious unto us; we long for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress."

(Ps. 73:28 KJV) "But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all thy works.)